It has been one month since the Fancy Food Show, and I’m just now finding the time to write about my experience. A lot has happened thanks to the show, keeping me very busy over the last few weeks. Attending the show was quite different than exhibiting in it. As an observer last year I [...]

Amai is busy and could really use the help of a few dedicated people. If you want to learn what it’s like to work in a commercial kitchen and help a new company get started, this is for you! Professional experience is great, but if you have a desire to learn about the baking world [...]

Today is a new day for Amai. After much hard work, laughter, tears, discussion, debate and negotiation, Kathryn and I have ended our partnership in the business. Kathryn will move on to new projects, while I will remain as the sole owner of Amai Tea & Bake House. This is an incredibly exciting day for [...]

Last year I attempted to make a recipe for Mini Pavlovas from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goddess. It was the first time I had ever made pavlovas and they turned out terribly. I had no idea if it was my inexperience, the small electric oven I used, or if the recipe [...]

There are very few things that you can buy in New York for $2. Before this week I thought it would get you little more than a bottle of water or a prepackaged cookie. I once went to Dean & Deluca and ordered a Rice Krispie treat, only to find out it cost $4 (I [...]

Amai will be participating in the Fancy Food Show in New York City from July 9-11, 2006. We will be showcasing our new Tea Sweets and Botanical Brownie packaging and offering plenty of samples of each. It is amazing to think that I was just an attendee last year, dreaming of starting my own company, [...]

When people spend their time at a culinary event talking about the weather instead of the food, you know it’s a bust. I spent Saturday at the New York Culinary Festival, and was shocked at the lack of organization and selection of food vendors. Despite a few bright spots, the event was one that left [...]

In graduate school I took a class on how to write a business plan, and my professor (who made millions by running cable lines in office buildings) said only one thing I remember - business is personal. The people you do business with are as important as the deals you make. If you can’t trust [...]

There have been many ups and downs, and plenty of surprises along the way. But as an informed insider into the process of starting a bakery, I thought it would be interesting to write about my impressions.

Food presentation has long been considered a form of art, but what about the utensils? Now the spoons, forks, knives and plates usually lost behind the scenes are getting all of the attention. Art inspired by dining instruments is popping up around the country, and it seems that America still can’t get enough of [...]